CHAPTER V CONCLUSION
5.2 Recommendation
This research develops an understanding of the future change of customer behavior towards food delivery in Bangkok after pandemic. According to the research result, there is a highly potential growth of customers’ food delivery order volume after the pandemic due to its convenience and customers’ acknowledgement of food delivery applications during quarantine. Together with the change in business working process that will incline more toward work-from-home and hybrid working which will be beneficial to restaurants since it provides alternative sales channel to capture greater profits. Therefore, the researcher would recommend the restaurant owners to act responsively putting consideration on opening and maintaining food delivery service and also to imply the following recommendation towards food delivery to constitute a competitive advantage.
5.2.1 Food Quality
Though under food delivery prospect, food quality is still the main criteria for the restaurants which critically indicate the restaurants’ accomplishment. Food quality in this research refers to food temperature, food freshness and food decoration
in which customers remain using the same standard as of dinning-in food quality. Many of customers have dinning-in experience with or already are customers of the restaurants before they order delivery. Therefore, it is crucial for food delivery to maintain the food quality to use the same standard with dinning-in food or same standard of food provided overtime. Otherwise, if the customers realize, the threats may be posted to the restaurant itself. The same food quality standard includes freshness of food cook, quality of food ingredients, food decoration, food temperature and proportion.
There are several ways that allow the restaurants to maximize their food quality standard. Firstly, provide packaging meant for all types of food including wet, hot, and cold, to ensure the highest quality upon arrival. Also, keep the hot and cold items separately. This will help preserve the food temperature and food freshness.
Moreover, safe and tight packing can prevent food spill and maintain the food presentation and decoration of food inside the container. Additionally, posting pictures of real food on the restaurants’ menus will clearly show what customers will get and what they should expect from the orders. It implies the sincerity of restaurants to customers as well.
5.2.2 Packaging
Another essential factor for nowadays delivery restaurants is packaging. The packaging suggests and represent the restaurant quality and its image because it shows the caring and sympathy of the food providers to customers. Packaging carries experience to customers that brings in customer satisfaction and reorder intention.
Under food delivery, the heart is to provides great convenience to customers. As a result, the packaging should concern this attribute and respond with it ensuring that food is packaged in the proper containers for delivery. The cutlery and good package, such as box with separate container or temperature keeping package, should be provided so that the customers can conveniently enjoy their food at the favorable taste. On top of that, a good and attractive package helps increase customer delightfulness and satisfying food presentation which is worth the money spent in customers’ perspective. The examples of food containers and cutlery are as follows in Figure 5.1 to 5.6.
Figure 5.1 Example of food container with divider (Ref: https://www.alibaba.com)
Figure 5.2 Example of food container for soup (Ref: https://th.aliexpress.com)
Figure 5.3 Example of food packaging for soup
(Ref: https://amazingcouple.net/copper2go-copper-delivery)
Figure 5.4 Example of heat insulated food container (Ref: https://www.xzytaluminum.com)
Figure 5.5 Example of cutlery (Ref: https://goodwillretail.co.th)
Figure 5.6 Example of insulated cold packs (Ref: https://shopee.co.th)
5.2.3 Promotion
In order to attract more or maintain the customers, the restaurants should establish the promotion to capture them. The recommended promotions are free delivery or even lower the delivery fee. As many of customers aware of the costly delivery fee that they might easily end up order from other restaurants instead. Moreover, the promotion of bundle set or promotion price is also interesting as it provides worthier choice for them. Finally, the promotions can also be applied effectively a little earlier of the rush, limited or crowded hours instead of during these hours like, lunch break that many people struggle finding restaurants under time pressure and crowded situation that
most of drivers are busy and cannot get the orders resulting in lost in sales of the restaurants and long await for customers.
5.2.4 Utilizing Customer Sharable Experience
Nowadays, people are more emerge to technology. As well as the internet penetration rate which escalates more and more, and display in a number of users on social media including Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok and so on. Social Media becomes part of people’ daily lives. They use it to share their moments and experiences just like conventional word-of-mouth. The restaurants should also employ this characteristic to reach targets and gain more customers by providing memorable experience that customer can and want to share on social media. It can be in the form of, for example, beautiful food presentation, pretty packaging and a special way to eat to arouse people to share it on social media. The restaurants can become famous and gain more profits.
Finally, the sharing activities will benefit the restaurants.